"A Spiritual Lesson In Toon Language" (Subset B)

We need Christian Morals And Ethics (This Subset Is Marked CME)

 CME Index

I Revenge

I use the Tiny Toon Adventures Episode My Brilliant Revenge.  This lesson is a simple one, but everyone needs this lesson.  It is about getting back at people.  This is one of those lessons that would fit in the FTK set.  If need be or even requested I will make it an honorary member of that set to be used with that group.

Scriptures Used Include:  Leviticus 19:18, Mathew 5: 21-26, 38-42, Colossians 3: 12-17, and I John 3: 15

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IIA Love and Friendship I:  What Love And Friendship Isn't

 I use the Tiny Toon Adventures episode Rent A Friend.  This covers some of the scriptures on Judas Iscariot.  We are comparing the cartoon villain who is Montana Max to Judas.  We are discussing the similarities of their stories’ end (cartoon to Bible)

Scriptures Used Include:  Mathew 26: 14-16, 47-68; 27: 1-10

IIB Love And Friendship II:  What Love And Friendship Is

I use the TaleSpin episode Save The Tiger.  This section is on sacrifice.  The comparison used in this cartoon is Becky, Molly and Baloo.  When Baloo goes really astray in thought this time, Becky reacts in a very honorable way and we will discuss what the Bible teaches about Becky’s and Molly’s love and friendship.  Of course, they would be the Christian example.  However, I would say anyone would have a tough time putting it into practice if we just think of ourselves by nature instead of others.

IIC Love And Friendship III: Love Is The Root Of All True Friendship 

 I use the Smurfs episode They’re Smurfing Our Song and the Prime Cut cartoon music video The Love, Love, Love Song (This is the music section off of the Powerpuff Girls episode Mime For A Change (I haven’t used the actual series yet, but I probably will eventually).  This section is on love in general.

Scriptures Used Include:  Proverbs 10: 12 and I Corinthians 13

III Greed

 This lesson takes a goodly amount of imagination to understand.  This is arguably one of the most figurative lessons (if not the most figurative) of God’s and my collection.  When greed gets in the way of one’s life, usually things don’t work out, and if it is true greed without discernment, things won’t work for the better.  This lesson is about taking unnecessary chances in one’s life.  This means of course chances that are not godly ones.  We study King Saul’s fall, King David’s rise to power, and King Agag’s death.  I used the TaleSpin episode The Bigger They Are, The Louder They Oink.  It may be a funny cartoon, but pay attention to its symbols and you will see some good truth.

Scriptures Used Include:  I Samuel 15 and 16 

IVA Is Lying Good? I:  You MakeThe Call (Easy)

We are talking about some of the easier lies that are told to get to the bottom of and deduce the morality of.  This part of the lesson includes clips from the Digimon episode Forget About It!, a clip from the Smurfs episode Smurfy Acres, and clips from the Flintstones episode The Little White Lie.  Things get harder the next session though.

Scriptures Used Include:  Exodus 20: 16; Proverbs 20: 23; Micah 6: 11-15; Proverbs 20: 17

IVB Is Lying Good? II:  You Make The Call (Hard)

 We are discussing lying, but it is much harder this time.  These become physically more and more kind of gray as we progress.  We are using clips from the Simpsons episode Lisa Gets An ‘A’, clips from the Digimon episode 20,000 Digi-Leagues Under The Sea, and the Cartoon Network Skit Sick Day At Cartoon Network.  The Bible shows that regardless of the situation, in God’s sight, lies are selfish, even though on the surface some of them may seem selfless.  This would be considered a more “hard core” lesson.  Many people might disagree with the Bible here, but rest assured, the Bible speaks the truth.

Scriptures Used Include:  Luke 17: 1-3a; Romans 3: 1-8; Proverbs 12: 22

V Spiritual Contentment VS. The Love Of Money

As the title of this lesson indicates, we are talking about both spiritual contentment and the love of money.  We are discussing which one is better.  This may even no doubt be easy to answer on the surface.  However, this is hard to put into practice.  This in a sense can be made into an extension of the Greed lesson, but this in my opinion is a slightly different lesson.  I used the Tom and Jerry episode The Million Dollar Cat to illustrate this lesson.  It looks painfully obvious after this cartoon that the love of money isn’t worth it.  We are showing definitely why we should follow the Bible's teachings and heed the quote:  Buy the truth and do not sell it.

Scriptures Used Include:  Proverbs 23: 23, Matthew 13: 44-46; Matthew 19: 16-30; Proverbs 15: 16-17; Matthew 6: 19-24; Psalms 23

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Fun Fact:    This set called "Responsibilities" is designed more or less to show the principles of what Christian life consists of. In other words, this is what is expected and necessary in the Christian experience.  In the case of the martyrdom lesson on “dying for what one believes as a Christian”, this is only necessary for some.  However everyone who is a Christian needs to be willing to do this.  This set might make a good SOC candidate, but it has the big Chlorhydris set in it and this responsibilities banner (most of it anyway), should come very naturally anyway—depending on how much God has worked on the Christian individual of course.

VIA Responsibilities I:  The Honorable Martyr

The first one of these ended up being the hardest one (perceived to me) of the set.  It is on martyrdom.  Before the actual martyrdom, we talk about the lost and the problem of being in this spiritual state.  To help illustrate that, I used a clip from the Smurfs episode  Dreamy’s Nightmare.  Later on in this lesson, we talk about redemption and then the martyrdom itself.  I use the Power Rangers Lost Galaxy episode Loyax’ Last Battle.  In this episode, we see an old warrior on the side of evil that used to be good turn to the good side again.  Unfortunately, because he is going against the villains now, the villains blow him up for his newfound mind-set.

Scriptures Used Include:  Luke 15: 1-24, 14: 25-35, 21: 12-19

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Fun Fact:  This three-part sub-lesson is on humility.  In these three sections, I show what humility is and what it isn’t.  I am also ultimately showing how redemption in Jesus Christ can very well start by being broken like our last character in this sub-group.

VIBa Responsibilities IIa--Humility--The Witness

This part of the lesson is on the witness of humility.  This shows how just plain humility can touch hearts and give people the opportunity to have freedom in Jesus Christ.  This lesson shows how our Lord doesn’t want a show for a witness just a sincere heart that wants to give life to the dead.  I used the Flintstones episode My Fair Freddy in the form of clips.

Scriptures Used Include:  I Timothy 6: 3-21; Proverbs 18: 1, 11-12; Proverbs 16: 5, 18-19; Proverbs 3: 1-8; Ephesians 2: 1-10; Proverbs 3: 9-10

VIBb Responsibilities IIb--Being Humbled--Not!

This lesson is on a different kind of humility.  This lesson and the next one talk about being comfortable in one’s sins and redemption when one comes to their senses.  Yes, this sounds like The Honorable Martyr lesson, but these next two (including this one) sections are focusing more on repentance and redemption (or the lack thereof) than that one ever was.  This lesson session is basically on the lack of repentance and the impending spiritual gloom and doom that come with this lack.  For this session, I use clips from the Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego episode Retribution; which is ironically, three parts in itself.  These are:  The Unsinkable Carmen Sandiego, In Memoriam, and Maelstrom’s Revenge.  I am using a clip from all three of these parts of the episode.

Scriptures Used Include:  Luke 21: 36; Luke 13: 1-9; Jeremiah 5: 1-31

 VIBc Responsibilities IIc--Being Humbled-It's About Time!

The finale of this three-part sub-lesson is the opposite of the last one because this boss repents.  The crime boss in this episode of Batman:  The Animated Series called It’s Never Too Late is a very proud man who thinks he is just fine.  However, what God has for him cuts him to his very heart.  If he were real he probably became a Christian, in this lesson we are assuming he probably did (for the sake of talking about the redemptive work of the lesson and our Lord Jesus Christ).  The reason for the “probably” here is to emphasize the power of prayer for the advancement to salvation in anyone.

Scriptures Used Include:  Proverbs 16: 2-5, 18-19; Isaiah 59: 1-21; Proverbs 19: 11, 25: 15; II Timothy 4: 1-8

 VIC Responsibilities III: Seeking Wise Counsel

This in a sense is following the theme of Part Bb and Part Bc.  This lesson session is much more general than those.  This one more or less is on seeking help for problems or not thinking you want to be a know-it-all.  I show an interesting assortment of cartoons and a clip.  I use the Smurfs episode Brainy Smurf, Friend To All The Animals, The Garfield And Friends episode Green Thumbs Down and a clip from the Digimon episode  Davis Cries Wolfmon.  This lesson shows different characters not listening to wise counsel in different ways complete with Bible analysis and discussion seeking to help our characters wise up.

Scriptures Used Include:  Proverbs 10: 8; 12: 15; 12: 18; 18: 2, 13; Proverbs 13: 15-16; Proverbs 11: 2; 12: 23; 14: 7-8; 15: 22

VID Responsibilities IV:  Don't Be Lukewarm In Ministry

This lesson is about the subject of caring for fellow man, or in this case, the lack thereof.  This is the first full length Simpsons episode used.  For this lesson, I use the episode  In Marge We Trust in the form of clips.  Unfortunately, this episode has one bad word in it and a lie in the middle of it (explained in the lesson), but the episode makes a very stinging point about a lukewarm church, lukewarm people, and the ineffectiveness thereof.

Scriptures Used Include:  Revelation 3: 1-6, 14-22; Luke 10: 25-37; Revelation 3: 7-13

VIE Responsibilities V:  The Double Standard

This lesson session is on hypocrisy and how easy it is to commit a sin like this.  It is not easy to live a life that is free of this.  I use a Smurfs episode called The Kaplowey Scroll to illustrate this point.  Basically, there is a bad word that is Kaplowey.  Once found to be a bad word, no one is supposed to use it.  However, the Smurfs (for some reason) find it appropriate to use the bad word for a “good” purpose.  In actuality, all they need to do is banish the scroll using the scroll against itself.  I found that this paralleled nicely with the TaleSpin episode Destiny Rides Again, so I use the clips from that too to add to the lesson (optional).  These clips are from Habits And Idols Part A and C (B doesn’t have any of these clips but has the Smurfs episode Lure Of The Orb).  It is very interesting (I believe) how this lesson came together and why it is Biblical to use the word Kaplowey against itself, and for that matter, the idol shown in the TaleSpin episode Destiny Rides Again.  This lesson session here and the three-part lesson on the subject of idols can be used together probably if need be.  I however, think they are different, they just parallel nicely.

Scriptures Used Include:  Romans 2: 17—3: 8; Luke 13: 10-17

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Fun Fact:  The phrase "Gung Ho" means "working together" in Chinese

VIF Responsibilities VIF: Teamwork And Team Spirit

This lesson session is about working together both in the human race and in our Christian lives.  This lesson shows how working together gets more accomplished than not. This lesson shows what working in tandem does in contrast to working in disunity.  We use a couple of clips from the Thanksgiving Day NFL game of 2001 (Green Bay vs. Detroit).  I also use the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Episode Gung Ho!  We talk about treating our Christian lives like we are always training for and in a great Spiritual contest.  We talk about how to win God's trophy--a crown of life.

Scriptures Used Include:  Proverbs 12: 25; Proverbs 16: 24; Ephesians 4: 29; Mark 8: 31—9: 1; Romans 1: 8-17; Proverbs 17: 3;  Proverbs 25: 4; Mark 6: 7-13

VIGa Responsibilities VIGa--Redemption Day I:  Redemption Day

This lesson session is the first of two sessions that focus on God's responsibility to save because He promised all humans this opportunity.  It is of course our responsibility to accept Jesus sacrifice for our sins.  I use clips from the Digimon episode Piedmon's Last Jest and clips from the Power Rangers In Space episode Countdown To Destruction II.  This lesson works with some of the specifics of salvation. And has an altar call at the end.  Everyone needs Jesus!!!!!

Scriptures Used Include:  Psalms 40; Deuteronomy 23: 1-8; Leviticus 16; Revelation 12: 10-12; Isaiah 52: 13--53 :12; Hebrews 10: 1-18; Psalms 25; Galatians 3: 13-14; Psalms 91

  VIGb Responsibilities VIGb--Redemption Day II:  Remember Your Saved--If You Aren't, What Are You Wating For?

For The Christian, this session is for remembering that you are saved and that you are under God's grace through Jesus Christ.  For The unbeliever, this session is a needed message to urge you to receive your salvation in Jesus Christ.  I use the Power Rangers Lost Galaxy episode called Facing The Past.  With this episode we discuss sinful pasts and the burdens that they are.  We discuss the well-spring of forgiveness that is in Christ Jesus Our Lord.  We discuss the faith needed to maintain an intimate relationship with God Almighty through a believing heart, trust, prayer and love.  We discuss the end result of said faith which is inheriting the Kingdom of God to which we are all called.

Scriptures Used Include:  Psalms 130; John 15: 1-17; Psalms 103; Galatians 3: 26--4: 7; Romans 10: 4-13   

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Fun Fact:  This lesson uses a parody of the movie:  "The Lord Of The Rings:  The Two Towers"

VII The Cardboard Castle

I Am Going To Show An Interesting Parallel Between A Cardboard Castle (Fortress) And The Devil's Plans.  I Am Using Clips From A Simpsons Episode That Has A Parody Of The Movie:  "The Lord Of The Rings--The Two Towers" Called Rome-Old And Juli-Eh.

Scriptures Used Include:  Psalms 18 and 48.

VIII Bait And Switch

This lesson is about deception and trickery in a contract.  The best scripture for the job in this case is the account of Jacob and Laban.  Laban tricked Jacob into working for twenty years to have a couple of wives and some cattle.  Laban tries to get out of this by giving Jacob a lady not agreed upon and by changing Jacobs wages ten times and then by trying to claim back property sold in the work belonging to Jacob.  I used the Looney Tunes short Fool Coverage to explain this further as Daffy tries to deceive Porky, and even fraudulently change his policy.  I show in this lesson that God is not a "bait and switch" God.

Scriptures used are Genesis 29-31 and Psalms 91